Reflections
by Claire Darcy
Summary: Doctor Cameron is just settling into her new fellowship at PPTH. It doesn't take long, though, for House to catch her eye. When they're sent to a conference together, Cameron is sure that she'll learn who he really is.
1. Chapter 1

_OK, everyone, don't panic. I haven't given up on Seamless (though the writer's block is killing me) but this came to me yesterday and I wanted to see where I could take it. Please let me know how you like it, if you think I should continue it or what. As always...reviews greatly appreciated! Thank you.

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Doctor Allison Cameron was well adjusted. She managed to survive the death of her husband, and dealing with the grief while trying to get through medical school. It had been difficult, but she'd made it. Now she found herself working for one of the best – albeit arrogant – diagnosticians in the country. Normally this would be cause for a subdued sense of pride, but any pride was ebbed away by the shame she had soon felt herself succumbing to. During the first few weeks of her fellowship at PPTH, Cameron thought about Dr. House the same way the majority of the rest of the world did: he was a rude, sarcastic son of a bitch that hid behind his high walls of snide comments to avoid showing human emotion. But she only had to watch him around the hospital, watch him interacting with Dr. Wilson to see how he acted when he could let his guard down. He had always looked so happy when he was on Wilson's balcony during lunch breaks, when he was sure that no one could see him. Wilson had spotted her leaning out of a window, and smiled knowingly the next time he had seen her in the hallway. Wilson had learned to understand House and tolerate him, and she could only dream that someday she would be able to adopt the same talent.

Cameron eased her bag onto the floor onto the floor by the desk in her self-proclaimed office area of the conference room. Foreman and Chase were nowhere to be seen, suggesting that they had gone down to the clinic to cover House's hours. That was another thing she'd noticed; House didn't actually listen to Dr. Cuddy when she ordered him to do something. At first, it had made her nervous to see him disobeying his boss like that, but she'd figured out that Cuddy wasn't offended by it so she learned to let it go. Just like she had so many other things.

The sound of the glass doors swinging open hit hear ears, and she looked up to see Wilson smiling down at her. She slid her glasses off her nose and set them gently on a pile of folders in front of her.

"Doctor Wilson," she said, smiling.

"Cameron, I was wondering if you'd seen House around." He came closer to the desk, running a hand down the front of his chest.

"Actually, I only just got here. He could be anywhere. Except-"

"-The clinic," Wilson finished for her, a smirk growing on his lips. "Thanks. I'll go look for him. I he shows up-"

"I'll let him know you're looking for him," she took over. Wilson nodded and left, heading toward the elevators.

Cameron leaned back in her chair, watching the various people passing by outside the conference room. She debated whether or not to get up and get herself a cup of coffee. The counter with the coffeemaker seemed a million miles away. She realized how incredibly bored she was when she found herself opening a game of solitaire on her laptop. They didn't have any cases, so she did not feel nearly as bad for sitting around doing nothing. It had been nearly half an hour after Wilson stopped by before House strode loudly into the adjoining office. The hollow thudding of his cane against the carpet drifted in through the doors that connected the two rooms. His pacing was almost soothing to her. In a brief moment of confidence, Cameron got to her feet and walked casually into House's office. House stopped his pacing, and stood by the window, barely facing her.

"Are you bored?" he asked after a few moments of brutal silence.

"I was just wondering if you had anything I could do." Cameron shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. House appeared to be mulling something over in his mind before his eyes lit up and he limped over to his desk, sliding open a drawer. He pulled out a stack of files and dropped it on the desk in front of him.

"Charting," he said to Cameron's look of incredulity. "It…confuses me. If you're bored…"

"I'll get right on it," she sighed, scooping the pile up in her arms. House had been slightly shocked to see her so obliging, but he didn't dwell on it. He had bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

Cuddy had cornered him as soon as he'd arrived at the hospital that morning and dragged him to her office. He should have known to run – or hobble quickly – when he noticed the smile on Cuddy's face. She wanted something. Something that was not going to turn out well for him. Damn, he should have dashed for the elevators and gone to hide out in the pediatrics department. He did not go there very often – all of the balloons and cuddly stuffed animals made him want to hurl – but it was a great place to hide in an emergency. No one ever looked for him there. But he hadn't seen the warning signs, and stood around, expecting Cuddy to demand more clinic hours. In fact, he'd prefer clinic hours any day over what she was really demanding.

House had collapsed in the chair opposite her desk as she breezed around the room, searching for something.

"House, as I'm sure you know, the Infection & Immunology Conference is in three weeks. In the Twin Cities." She paused, as her hands closed around the pamphlet she had been looking for. "And I need you to go." She turned to face him, forcing a smile.

"Immunology?" House placed a thoughtful finger on his chin. "Why not send Cameron. I'm sure she would love to feel useful around here."

"Doctor Cameron is going as well."

House's brain froze, and he became vaguely noticed that his right hand was bouncing his cane between his legs. He would admit that when he'd hired Cameron it had been more her incredibly good looks than for her medical attributes, but he'd also found that he could admire her for her contributions during their whiteboard diagnosis sessions. The thought of spending a week and a half at a conference with her was both appealing and terrifying.

"House," Cuddy prompted.

"Three hours off clinic."

"One."

"Two, then." Cuddy gritted her teeth, her eyes never leaving him.

"Fine." House got to his feet and made for the door. "But you have to actually go to the lectures," Cuddy added. House had nodded and stormed through the door, cleverly masking his excitement with indignation. He wasn't quite sure what he was so excited about, but the little dance his stomach was doing was telling his brain that excitement was the proper emotion.

Now, as he sat in his office, he listened to Cameron's pen scratching quickly as she worked her way through all of the files that had sat unnoticed in House's desk for long. His thoughts drifted ahead a few weeks and found himself locked up in a hotel room with her, surviving on room service. Maybe they wouldn't even leave the room. A smile broke out on his face and he quickly snapped back into reality. Thinking about Cameron was making him _smile_? What had the world come to?

* * *

Cameron leaned back on her couch, unfolding the pamphlet Cuddy had unceremoniously thrust at her that morning. She had never been to a conference before, and didn't see any harm in going. Cuddy had warned her that it was possible that House would be accompanying her toMinneapolis. This had come as both a shock and a relief to Cameron. She was glad that she wouldn't be going at this alone, but was a little worried about spending that much alone time with House. She hadn't really gotten to know him that well yet, and being confined to each other's company for ten days could prove difficult, to say the least.

She had left work early, after finishing the charting. Some of the files on the bottom of the stack had been from House's first year at the hospital. It gave Cameron reason to wonder how Cuddy was able to put up with him. Maybe there was a secret code she should learn. She'd definitely need it if she planned on keeping her sanity for much longer.

Somewhere in the apartment, the empty ticking of a clock bounced of the walls, reminding her just how alone she was. She would not lie and say that getting House away from the hospital intrigued her, but at the same time, it made her nervous. All this time she had built this idea of what he was really like, when he didn't feel like he had to appear strong and unfeeling. But the sudden knowledge that she may get to see this different House for herself scared her. What if she had been wrong? What if he wasn't any different away from the hospital? The doubts raced through her mind, making the knot in her stomach even tighter. House had managed to entice her within the first few weeks of her fellowship. She knew that it had been unintentional, but she still received the full force of it.

Cameron stretched her legs out, just realizing how sore her eyes were from lack of sleep. Tossing the pamphlet aside, she got to her feet and shuffled to her bedroom, turning lights off as she went. She didn't even know if House would be going to the conference with her. There was no reason to get herself all worked up over nothing.

The next morning she woke up in a cold sweat. She'd had a dream involving House and a butcher knife. Her imagination could get out of control sometimes, but she had learned to disregard the dreams. Though she still couldn't help it when later that day at work whenever she saw House she couldn't help imagining him clutching a cleaver. It wasn't as scary in the daylight, but it did cause her to break out in a few giggle-fits throughout the day.

"Doctor Cameron," House said, limping into the lab. He had successfully gotten Chase and Foreman busy elsewhere, leaving him to talk to her without interruption. Cameron looked up from the microscope and knew, from the way he was looking anywhere but her, what he wanted to talk about. "You're going to the I & I Conference…"

"Yes. Dr. Cuddy said that she couldn't get anyone from the immunology department to go." She kept her voice light, trying to get him to relax.

"Right." He tapped his cane on the floor as he sorted out the right words in his head. "I don't know if Cuddy told you…"

"I'll be enjoying your company on the trip?" she asked, smirking at him. "Yeah. She mentioned something about it, but I wasn't sure if she'd be able to convince you."

"Well she won. But I get off clinic duty, so I guess I win too." Cameron's heart fell; he was going, but only because of a deal with Cuddy. She wouldn't admit to herself that she had been hoping that he would agree to go so he could be with her.

"Lucky you. If only I had thought to negotiate."

"Not everyone can be as clever as me."

House looked at her and saw her one eyebrow raised. Rolling his eyes, he hobbled from the room without a word. Cameron watched him go before turning back to the microscope with a triumphant smile on her face. She had gotten him flustered. Maybe the trip would be more fun than she had thought.

* * *

Their last day at the hospital before the conference was hectic. Cuddy had come in bright and early that morning dropping three urgent cases on the table. Cameron was, once again, the only one who was there yet, so she was forced to keep the three patients as comfortable as possible and attempt to make her own diagnoses until the rest of the team showed up. By the time House arrived, she was standing in front of the whiteboard, staring at the three sets of symptoms. House went to stand right beside her, glancing over what she had written down.

"Why are you touching my whiteboard?" he whispered after a few seconds. Cameron circled something on the board with the black marker she held, never looking up at him.

"Cuddy came in here almost an hour ago…Three dying people needed your help."

"And yet _you're_ the one helping them." He smirked at her, taking the marker from her hand. "No one touches my board." He circled a few more symptoms. "This guy's got meningitis, this one has pneumonia, and this one has cancer. He's gonna die." He cleared the board in one efficient swipe of the eraser.

"It's a mother of four," Cameron said quietly.

"Whatever. You just need to tell Doctor Wilson that he has a new patient." And as though that settled it, he threw the marker on the table and continued into his office.

"That's it?" Cameron asked incredulously, following him. "You aren't going to ride us for a diagnosis?"

"Those were trivial cases."

"Cuddy wouldn't have brought them in here if they were that easy!"

"Cuddy brought them in here so that I wouldn't spend the whole day planning my trip to the Mall of America." He winked at her, easing himself into his chair. "You want to go with me? I hear they have a crazy amusement park right in the middle."

"I don't believe it." Shaking her head, Cameron left the office and stormed off in the direction of the lab. House may be a medical genius, but he sure didn't know how to handle people. It amazed her how someone as friendly as Wilson could subject himself to House on a daily basis. She was going to have to learn the secret to dealing with House soon, or she would probably never make it home in her right mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Cameron stared blankly at the open suitcase she had on her bed. House would be picking her up in less than an hour to drive them to the airport and she hadn't even finished packing yet. She stomped over to the closet and piled a few more pairs of jeans on her arm. A second trip back to the closet and she was gently placing a sexy black dress in the suitcase. It was not impossible that she should need it, and she just wanted to be prepared for whatever might come up. Cameron had been getting her hopes up over the last week, despite her attempts to not let her mind get too carried away. She could feel that something was going to happen, something good. She knew by the way House had been snapping at her a little less, or how he actually thanked her when she brought him his coffee in the morning. He was looking forward to the conference just as much as she was, she was sure.

The steady knocking echoed through the apartment just as she finished zipping the suitcase. A quick glance around to make sure everything was OK to be left alone for ten days, and she was slipping on her jacket as she opened the door. House was leaning against the doorframe, spinning his cane between his fingers.

"Ready?" he asked, barely looking at her.

"Yeah, I think so." She gripped the handle of her suitcase and stepped out into the hall, making sure her apartment was locked up. She knew deep down that it was unlikely for someone to want to break into her apartment, but she always wanted to be safe. House led her down to his car, and helped her get the suitcase in the back seat.

"We're not going for a year," he muttered. Rolling her eyes, Cameron got herself situated in the front seat. It surprised her how easily House could unsettle her nerves in just a single sentence. She was hoping that she didn't make a fool of herself during their trip.

The drive to the airport was mostly silent, punctuated by the occasional groan from House when the traffic was particularly annoying. When they finally pulled into a spot in the massive parking garage, it was with resolute calmness that Cameron pulled two boarding passes from her purse. House glanced at them, clasped between slightly shaking fingers.

"I guess I didn't really need to hurry," he mumbled. Cameron smiled faintly, opening her door carefully so as not to hit the car beside them. She retrieved her suitcase from the back seat, pulling out the handle so she could roll it along behind her. She noticed House doing the same, and a thought struck her. Unfortunately, the words spilled out before she could stop them.

"Do you want me to take that for you?"

"I may be a cripple, but I can roll a suitcase," he answered, glaring at her. He said it with bitterness, but Cameron was sure that he hadn't taken it personally.

It took them approximately fourteen minutes to get their bags checked, and another twenty-seven to make it through security. House had grumbled rather loudly when he learned that he would have to lose the cane to go through the metal detector. But it was the embarrassment on Cameron's face that finally made up his mind for him, and he limped heavily through the arch, completely devoid of disaster. Only nine minutes more until they were comfortably seated in first class, sipping on coffee.

"Not as good as yours," House commented between drinks. He had said it so quietly that Cameron was sure she had just imagined it.

"I've had years of practice," she said with a smile.

The flight went as smoothly as could be expected. House had given on of the flight attendants a piece of his mind when he discovered that he couldn't get a bag of trail mix unless his forked over three dollars. Cameron had sunk in her seat, trying to ignore it all. She suspected that his leg was giving him trouble from sitting for so long, so she didn't say anything. But she was ecstatic when they touched down in Minneapolis around two o'clock.

"You have a rental car, right?" Cameron asked as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"Oh, I knew there was something I forgot!" House exclaimed. He glanced at Cameron, who did not look too amused. "Of _course_ I have a car set up for us. I'm not completely irresponsible." This thought struck Cameron as unbelievably funny, and a giggle escaped her mouth despite her attempts to stifle it. House glared at her and hobbled off the airplane.

The car he had gotten for them looked like it could barely hold two people let alone two people and their two suitcases. House insisted on driving, and after a two minute-fight trying to get his cane situated, they were off and speeding towards downtown Minneapolis. Cameron had seen the hotel that they would be staying at in the pamphlet Cuddy had given her, and was excited to see what it looked like in person. She recognized the Marquette Hotel as they came down the street. It was a massive building that looked like it was made mostly of windows. And it was simply beautiful. As soon as House had parked the car in the parking garage, Cameron was on her feet with her suitcase and racing to the elevators. House watched her go, getting the feeling he was with a three-year-old rather than thirty.

"It's not going anywhere," he called after her. He fumbled with the suitcase, trying to get it balanced on the two wheels, and made sure the car was locked before hobbling quickly to catch up. Cameron was leaning against a wide cement pillar, waiting patiently for him to arrive. She wasted no time hitting the button, almost bouncing up and down on her toes while she waited for the elevator doors to open. "You aren't excited or anything, right?" House asked, lifting an eyebrow. The giddy smile fell off Cameron's face and was replaced with a vicious glare. "What?" he asked innocently, limping past her and onto the empty elevator.

The lobby was fairly busy, buzzing with important-looking men and women in business suits. They made their way to the front desk, feeling completely out of place.

"Doctor Gregory House, checking in," he announced, ringing the bell, though the plump woman was sitting right there. By the look on her face, she already knew that she was not going to like him at all.

"Just a moment, sir," she said curtly, clicking away on her computer. After a few moments, she looked back up, brows scrunching together, and asked, "You're here for the Infection and Immunology conference?"

"The fact that I look like I'm here against my will is a real big indicator."

The woman behind the desk let out a frustrated huff, pulled an envelope from a drawer beside her, along with two room keys, and slid them across the counter to him. "The first lecture is tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. It's in the WINDOWS on Minnesota hall, which is on the 50th floor of the IDS building next door…"

"Thank you," House interrupted, taking the plastic cards and the envelope. "It was all in the pamphlet." The woman shot him a glare equal in ferocity as his. "Come on," he said to Cameron. She blinked, staring after him as he limped towards the elevators.

"But I need my room keys!" House stopped and stared at her, processing what she had said.

"Where in the same room. Didn't Cuddy…" He threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. "Look, if you want to get your own room…"

"No!" Cameron said, a little too loudly. She gripped her suitcase and hurried after him. "I just thought…I mean that maybe you…"

"Yeah, yeah. Hurry up. The brochure boasted an insanely well-stocked mini-bar." Cameron smiled, and kept his pace to the elevators.

Cameron felt the excitement bubbling though her as the floors blinked off, taking them higher and higher. House handed her one of the keys as the doors opened and with a smile said, "I'll let you see it first." She didn't waste a moment snatching the plastic and scurried down the hallway. The door opened easily when she slid the key into the slot, and she eagerly pushed into the room. Her eyes flicked over the place, her breath catching in her throat; the far wall was just a row of seven-foot windows, giving them a spectacular view of the city. A large wooden desk was situated in the corner, beside the promised mini-bar. Only one bed was set against the wall, facing the windows, and Cameron's heart started pounding again.

"Don't worry," House said gruffly in her ear. "There's another room. Complete with bed, even." A smile flitted across her mouth again. Maybe this wouldn't be nearly as bad as she had thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_First, I would like to say that I am so sorry for delaying this. It was a LOT harder to write than I was expecting. I have sort of developed a plot though (yeah-those can be useful), so maybe it will get a little easier. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please please let me know how you like it. Thanks a bunch! _

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The air conditioning was on way too high for Cameron, but she knew that if she had House turn it down, he'd be whining the whole way back to Princeton. She clenched her jaw in futile attempt to stop her teeth from chattering. A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand told her it was nearing two thirty. Their first lecture was in the morning, and she knew that if she didn't get to sleep soon, there was no way she'd be able to stay conscious. She pulled the scratchy blankets tighter to her chin, listening to the soft drone of cars below. House's plan for the next day was to blow off the lecture and spend the day at the Mall of America. Though she would never admit it, Cameron was much more interested in hanging out at the mall with House than going to a lecture.

"You cold in there?" House's voice cut through the darkness.

"No," she lied.

"Liar. I can hear you shivering from here." Cameron smiled despite her herself, rolling onto her side.

After a few minutes of silence, House spoke again. "You want me to turn it down?"

These were the moments – when he would have a brief moment of self-sacrifice-that unnerved her. His voice had become soft and tentative, as though he wasn't sure if he should really be asking. And she never knew what to make of it. She didn't answer him now. Instead, she slid out of bed, the chilly air biting her exposed skin. She tiptoed into the adjoining room, where she could see House propped up in his bed. He looked only slightly surprised to see her, and didn't say anything when stepped up to the side of the bed. They both knew what it was that she was silently asking. A tiny smirk flitted across House's lips as he threw back the blankets. Cameron climbed into bed with him, careful not to touch. If his skin even just brushed against hers, she didn't think she'd be able to control herself.

"No, you don't need to turn it down," she said quietly, turning so her back was to him.

House watched her, noting that her body had stopped shaking and that her teeth were still. It didn't take her long to fall asleep, now that she was safe in the warmth of another person. House's eyes, though, didn't close for a long time. He was hypnotized by the way her milky skin seemed to glow in the moonlight pouring through the windows. It scared him how such a naïve young woman could occupy his whole mind. He wasn't supposed to think about his employees this way. It was wrong. And yet, here he was, lying next to her, hyper-aware of every second that she accidentally bumped into him in her sleep. He wasn't sure what the next nine days were going to hold, but he was sure that it was going to mess up their professional relationship.

House was stumbling out of bed less than an hour later, finding that sleep was impossible with Cameron in the bed next to him. He went to the window, watching headlights dance across the city. He had never really thought about Cameron since he'd hired her. Not the way he was now. Sure, he'd said that he'd hired her because she was pretty, which, if he had to admit, had been the case. But he was slowly coming to find that there was so much more going on with her. She was learning how to read him, and knew how to react to his comments so that he was the one left sputtering in confusion. She was getting to him, and he couldn't handle that.

Cameron woke that morning around eight, not at all surprised to find the spot in the bed beside her completely empty. At first she had been terrified that maybe House had left without her for the mall. She wasn't too excited to skip the lectures, after Cuddy had so fervently told her that she had to attend, but she would rather do that than go alone. Her heart leapt, though, when her ears picked up the sound of a newspaper rustling. She sat up, squinting across the room. House was sitting on the sofa, a mug of steaming coffee precariously balanced on his good leg, a newspaper in his hands effectively hiding his face. Cameron thought about asking him if he was planning on taking her with him to the mall, but thought better of it and silently slid out of bed. She slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her, sure that House hadn't even noticed that she was up.

But of course, he had. He memorized the way her toned muscles flexed when she tiptoed across the room, the way the t-shirt she was wearing barely cleared her ass. He felt an electric shock shoot up his spine at the sight of her, but he chose to ignore it. He was _not_ supposed to think about her this way. She was a good fourteen years younger than he was, enough of an age difference these days for him be her father. Which, as the thought made its way into his head, literally made him sick to his stomach. House squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out these impure thoughts, and instead focused his attention to the rhythmic sound of the water running through the pipes. And this of course, led his mind to tempt him to go and join her. He angrily balled up the newspaper, tossing it across the room. It frustrated him that his own mind was the one thing that he couldn't ignore, the one thing that he didn't have control over.

Cameron stepped back into the main room twenty minutes later, her damp hair curling around her shoulders. She stood at the end of the sofa, arms crossed, and fixed her eyes on House.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked stiffly, and House could tell that the line had been rehearsed.

"That depends; are you going to tattle on me if I accidentally-on-purpose forget to stop by the lecture?" Cameron visibly relaxed, and even let a small smile slide onto her face.

"I suppose _that_ depends; are you going to be a responsible boss and force me to go to the lecture?"

House smirked, happy to continue the circular conversation they were having. "Only if you promise not to tattle."

"OK. I promise not to tattle." She rolled her eyes, moving to sit down, trying not to think about the way his elbow barely collided with hers as she did. House leaned forward and set his coffee on the table in front of them. The silence wasn't awkward, but neither of them felt very comfortable in it either.

"So…what…what do you want to do today?" House asked. He was shifting uncomfortably, and Cameron was getting the impression that he had been getting the same nervous tingle throughout his body that she was. Maybe she could use this to her advantage.

"Actually, I thought we just hang out here today. Order room service. We wouldn't even have to leave the room." House blinked at the very familiar train of thought. "We have nine more days of avoiding lectures. Why go out and see the sights right away?" House had seemed to have lost his voice, and just nodded. "It's a plan. Hang on, I'll be right back." She jumped to her feet, and picked up the room's phone with a new excitement House had not seen before. She knew something was going to happen. _He_ knew something was going to happen. He just wasn't sure if he was going to let it happen.


End file.
